Still a hatchling
by Chibiscuit
Summary: Guan Xing's absentmindedness causes unintended worry for Zhang Bao. Childhood! Zhang Bao/Guan Xing.


**Koei has done the impossible: they've made me love Guan Xing and Zhang Bao even more than I already did! Quite an impressive feat, believe me. Sooo, some spoiling myself with watching DW8 livestreams and a long trainride later, we've got this little thing!  
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**Note: Anguo is Guan Xing's style name. Zhang Bao doesn't have a known style name (which is rather impractical) so I had to work around that.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing! Not even a copy of DW8!*cry***

****** I tried to put in how I feel about their relationship and their individual characters but I'm not sure I can get it across properly. At any rate...  
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**...Enjoy!**

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_**Still a Hatchling**_

Somewhere in the thick forests of Shu, not that far from the capital of Cheng Du, two Young boys made their way through the trees and bushes. One had short spiky, somewhat wild hair and light grey eyes. He wore, aside from an excited grin on his face, a thin robe-like outfit, shortened for his exploring benefits. Its colour a rather radiant green perfectly matching his kingdom's flag colour. The sleeves were a lighter green and ended in pure white. Behind him another boy, about a year younger, followed. His robe was completely green, like his eyes, and untrimmed. He had therefore more trouble making his way through the woods. His light brown hair was much more neatly kept than his companion's.

"We're almost there!", the first by, Zhang Bao, called out to his friend excitedly. "Stay close, okay?", he added a little worried. He'd heard of the treacherous precipices in these parts. They were naturally camouflaged and many a man had ended up injured or worse because of them.

"Hm-hm", was the quiet answer of the second boy, Guan Xing. He looked around as they went along, green eyes scanning every tree, branch and bush. He'd seen a few animals scurry off at the noise they - well mostly Zhang Bao - were making, whilst others merely regarded them curiously, albeit from a safe distance. Guan Xing did the same to them all. At least, he tried to as best as he could while trying to keep up with Zhang Bao. Suddenly he spotted a little bird fluttering through the forest, skilfully manoeuvring in between the branches. Guan Xing slowed his pace, mesmerized by the creature his eyes were glued to its every move.

How nice it must be to be able to fly… To fly far from away from everything holding you down, to soar free in the skies.

The sharp sound of high-pitched chirping reached his ears. Guan Xing searched around for the source and soon spotted a nest not that far off. The bird he'd been observing seemed o be heading in its direction.

Young hatchlings still unable to fly? How did they learn how to do it? Could maybe…?

"….", without a word Guan Xing diverted from the path Zhang Bao was making and headed towards the nest. Green eyes stayed focused on the bird with the same destination the entire time.

Zhang Bao hadn't noticed his friend's departure at first, the other usually was rather quiet, but when he didn't get so much as a 'hm' for an answer he got suspicious and glanced behind him.

"Anguo?", he called but the other was gone. Zhang Bao's heart suddenly beat twice as hard. What if something had happened to his friend? Frantically he retraced his steps, stories of what had happened to some who had strayed from the path haunting his mind all the way. He kept calling out to his friend but to no avail. Then, after a while that was a much shorter than it seemed to him, Zhang Bao spotted Guan Xing wandering off in the forest. He let out a sigh of relief; Guan Xing was okay.

"That airheaded idiot, scaring me like that…!", he grumbled to himself, more out of worry than any real anger. His relief soon vanished though when he saw where Guan Xing was heading. Zhang Bao could clearly see the precipice, even from that distance, but Guan Xing was too distracted and obliviously walked on.

"Anguo! Look out!", Zhang Bao yelled but Guan Xing didn't even acknowledge his presence. Without wasting another second Zhang Bao ran towards his friend who had now gotten dangerously close to the edge. Zhang Bao picked up his pace even more, running faster than he ever had, screaming out "ANGUO!", from the top of his lungs. The combined effort left his chest on fire, heart beating so fast Zhang Bao was sure even Guan Xing must've heard it.

But still Guan Xing didn't react. His head cocked a little in acknowledgement of his friend but he didn't want to lose sight of the bird so he kept his eyes on it.

Zhang Bao was almost upon him now. _'I made it!', _he thought as he reached out to grab Guan Xing's robe and stop him but just at that moment, when Zhang Bao thought everything would be okay, Guan Xing suddenly let out a surprised yelp and Zhang Bao could see him no more. Grey eyes widened with fear, "No… NO! ANGUO…!", he yelled once more, tears stinging his eyes. This couldn't be true…!

Zhang Bao rushed to the edge and looked down. "Anguo?", he called but there came no answer. Panicked, he brushed and ripped some thicket away and looked down again, searching for Guan Xing. He spotted him lying on the ground motionless, stain of blood on the ground next to his head. Zhang Bao feared the worst but then he saw Guan Xing move a little and he could hear a soft but pained groan from the younger boy. Zhang Bao quickly scaled down and hurried over to Guan Xing's side.

"Anguo, are you okay?", he asked, his voice laced with extreme worry, as he helped the other sit more upright. Guan Xing looked confused at him, wincing slightly, "What…", he blinked a couple of times to get rid of the dizziness, "What happened?"

"You stepped over the edge and fell.", Zhang Bao explained quickly. He was more concerned about the cut on Guan Xing's forehead.

"Oh.", Guan Xing simple answered. He was about to try and stand up when Zhang Bao stopped him.

"Sit still.", e said and with his right hand brushed Guan Xing's hair out of his wound. Green eyes regarded him questioningly.

"Does it hurt?", Zhang Bao asked gently, his mind going over what his mother usually did when he'd gotten hurt.

Guan Xing looked away, "…no."

"Liar."

"…It…. stings a little…", Guan Xing mumbled, not wanting to appear weak in front of his friend. Or maybe he did but it had become a habit. People expected him to be strong, in every sense of the word, as a child of the God of War. Guan Xing blinked away the tears that were forming.

"Don't worry. Just hold still and I'll make ya feel better!", Zhang Bao grinned to cheer Guan Xing up.

"How?", Guan Xing asked, ignoring the fact that he had just admitted it hurt. But with Zhang Bao it was okay. With him everything was okay. Guan Xing couldn't help but feel that way.

"You'll see… here, keep your hair out of the cut." Guan Xing reached over to his head and replaced Zhang Bao's hand with his own in keeping his hair up.

Zhang Bao looked at his sleeves, shrugged once before ripping a piece of it. Guan Xing stared dumbfounded at his friend. Zhang Bao folded the piece of cloth so that the cleaner inside was on the outside. Slowly and gently he removed Guan Xing's hand and started dabbing the blood away.

Guan Xing's hand fell to the side again as he sat as still as possible. He looked over at Zhang Bao, staring at his look of utter concentration that had replaced his worried one. Zhang Bao had calmed down again. The wound wasn't as bad as it looked but it had been bleeding quite profusely.

When he'd gotten most of the blood away, Zhang Bao leaned back again. He regarded the bloodstained fabric for a second before throwing it away.

"There, don't worry I know it stings but the wound's not so bad.", Zhang Bao said to reassure Guan Xing who hadn't been that worried to begin with. Perhaps he was just reassuring himself rather than his friend If anything had happened to Guan Xing, Zhang Bao didn't know what'd he'd done.

"I'm sorry.", Guan Xing suddenly said breaking Zhang Bao from his thoughts.

"It's okay, there no reason for you to apologize", Zhang Bao replied surprised. '_If anyone's to blame, it'd be me for not being more careful…' _,Zhang Bao thought grimly. "I'm just glad you're safe.", he went on, putting on a bright smile despite his thoughts but Guan Xing's expression didn't change.

"I do. I'm sorry I worried you."

"Anguo…" Zhang Bao could see the tears forming in the younger's eyes, could see him blinking them away, could see the guilt in those green depths. "It's okay to cry, you know. If you feel like it, you should just, you know, let it out."

Guan Xing looked up at his friend, eyes wide, unable to believe what he'd just heard. Of course… with him it was okay, with him he was Guan Xing, Anguo even, and not Guan Yu's son. He let a few tears stream down his face as he looked straight at Zhang Bao with a smile,

"It still stings though."

Zhang Bao laughed, "People don't usually say that with such a big smile, you know!"

Guan Xing's smile didn't falter, "You'll make it better?" It was a question but Guan Xing already knew the answer. Zhang Bao had said he'd make it better so he would.

"You betcha! Just watch, this is how moms do it too!" Guan Xing stared curiously at his friend pondering his words' meaning. He didn't have to wonder for long. Zhang Bao once again brushed aside Guan Xing's hair, leaned in and gently kissed his wounded forehead. Guan Xing's eyes widened and his entire body heat up at the gesture. Zhang Bao pulled back, wiping the blood off his lips. He looked slightly confused, even though it had been his own idea. Like something was off.

"That's for bruises.", Guan Xing remarked after a minute of silence between them.

"What?" Suddenly it hit Zhang Bao was had been off. "Yes… of course… for humans that is!", he refused to admit his mistake though, nope not gonna happen!

Guan Xing raised his eyebrows at him.

"You know… I meant how…", Zhang Bao searched his mind for an excuse, repeating the same nonsensical sentences to buy time. Then it hit him, "Like a tiger!"

"A tiger?", Guan Xing asked.

"Yeah, you know how a tiger licks its wounds? So, you see, a mother tiger would lick her cubs. If they were injured. And bleeding, you know, blood.", there was a pause, "That's what I meant: like a mother tiger." Zhang Bao's hand gestures had gotten more elaborate as his explanation went on. Guan Xing smiled slightly at him, amused by his friend's reasoning.

"Anyway… did it work?", Zhang Bao asked carefully.

"Oh right. Yes.", Guan Xing had almost forgotten why Zhang Bao had kissed him in the first place but now that he mentioned it, it had worked.

"Great! Now I just have to cover it with something…", Zhang Bao looked around but there wasn't much useful and clean around. Well, nothing for it then. He looked at his own clothes again. Deciding on the middle part of his robe, he took hold of the fabric around his side. Guan Xing was about to protest but before he could even utter one word, a big ripping sound filled the forest. With one powerful pull Zhang Bao tore and peeled it off. The piece was too broad though and he had to make sure only the clean part touched Guan Xing's wound. So he folded it so that the dirty outside was within and the piece was about the right size.

"Hold still." Zhang Bao took the newly made headband and bent over his friend again. "Tell me if it's too tight, okay?" Guan Xing nodded slightly. He closed his eyes and could feel Zhang Bao's hands in his hair as he was busy tying the headband, as well as his hot breath on the top of his head. It felt rather nice actually.

"There, that should do it!" Guan Xing awakened from his reverie, opining his eyes right when Zhang Bao had pulled back again to admire his handiwork.

The older nodded approvingly at the result. Guan Xing curiously reached over and traced the headband from front to back. He'd never worn a headband before.

"Be careful when you take it off, okay? With your wound and all." Guan Xing nodded, suddenly noticing the state of Zhang Bao's clothes. His left sleeve was shorter than the right one and his entire upper garment had been severely shortened as well. So much so that Guan Xing could see the forming muscles on his exposed abdomen.

Zhang Bao noticed the stare and took in his own state. "Heh, well my mom won't like it but it's nothing.", he said.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, besides it looks better on you anyway.", Zhang Bao grinned.

Guan Xing smiled, "That look's not half-bad either.", he replied, only half-jokingly.

"Yeah I know. It shows off my good side, huh?", Zhang Bao joked back. Guan Xing laughed softly and Zhang Bao joined in, but a lot louder that is.

"What were you doing anyway? That you strayed off the path.", Zhang Bao asked when he'd stopped laughing. It wasn't rare for his friend to wander off or get lost, but the incentive had been bugging Zhang Bao now that he knew he was okay. Guan Xing's smile fell a little and he looked around, suddenly remembering the bird and the hatchlings. He spotted them both high up in a tree not that far from where he'd fallen. He stared at them. One of the little ones was jumping from the nest doubtfully, spurred on by its parent and observed by its fellow hatchlings.

Zhang Bao followed his gaze. "Birds?", he turned to his friend.

Guan Xing nodded, "I wanted to see. Look…", Zhang Bao turned his attention back to the spectacle, "the little bird tries its best because his parents expect so much of him. Meanwhile his siblings spur him on even more…", Guan Xing paused for a short while, "but when he grows up," he carried on," he will be able to fly… to soar high above those expectations and be free…"

Zhang Bao stared at Guan Xing, trying to let the words sink in. The younger pulled his gaze away from the nest and stared up at the sky, barely visible through the tree tops. "…I want to fly too…", he whispered as an afterthought, his voice barely audible.

"Anguo…" Guan Xing's words resonated with something deep within Zhang Bao and he felt that he understood. Yet, the words wouldn't come.

So he did the only thing he knew to do in these situations, "So, you think they'd be willing to give us a ride back up there?" Zhang Bao almost cringed at forced and stupid that sounded, but he could see a small smile form on Guan Xing's face.

"Maybe."

"Really?", Zhang Bao asked surprised, "Oh but we'd be too heavy anyway, huh?"

"Exactly."

"Right, well, we'll just have to find another way home then.", Zhang Bao concluded, scratching his head a bit in embarrassment at his stupidity. But Guan Xing seemed happier again and that's all that mattered.

"Home?", Guan Xing asked surprised.

"Well yeah, it might not be as bad as it looks but you're still injured.", Zhang Bao explained. He was a little surprised Guan Xing had any objections.

"But we haven't reached our destination yet."

"I know but you need to rest, Anguo. You lost quite a lot of blood."

"…but…", Guan Xing looked down at the ground disappointed, "…I wanted to see it…. This place you told me about…" Zhang Bao had described it so nicely and so full of praise, it sounded like a small hidden paradise. Guan Xing had been looking forward to going there with his friend; had been so happy that Zhang Bao had shared it with him and him alone.

"…I really wanted to show you too.", Zhang Bao admitted, "but your health is more important."

"Couldn't I rest there?", Guan Xing tried.

"I suppose you could… it's very calm there and the grass is soft and comfy so…", Zhang Bao contemplated the option. "Okay let's go.", he gave in when he saw Guan Xing's hopeful look. "But if you start feeling dizzy or anything, don't keep it to yourself, okay? Tell me."

"I will, I promise." Those words assured Zhang Bao more than he thought they would. Guan Xing kept his word, always.

"Alrighty then! Let's go!", Zhang Bao announced enthusiastically. "Oh but wait, this time…", he held out his hand to Guan Xing, "…here."

Guan Xing looked from Zhang Bao's face to the extended hand and back.

"Since you have trouble staying close.", Zhang Bao explained, a light teasing tone in his voice. He didn't want Guan Xing to feel guilty again after all. But he really was worried. Obviously a lot more than Guan Xing himself.

Guan Xing looked away but smiled. He walked closer and took hold of Zhang Bao's hand, lacing their fingers together for a better grip. The contact send a tingling sensation from Zhang Bao's hand to all over his body and the older could feel his face heat up. He had expected Guan Xing to hold him by his sleeve or wrist, not like this.

Not that it was a bad thing. Not at all.

Zhang Bao smiled brightly at Guan Xing before setting off again.

"So, as I was saying… we're almost there!"

_'One day you'll be able to fly. But until that day I'll protect you. No… even afterwards…'_

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**Hurry up with that English release date Koei! I can't wait much longer...!**_  
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**Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Chibiscuit**


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